USC Upstate students take challenge to eat on $4.38 a day

Published: Friday, February 15, 2013 at 8:57 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, February 15, 2013 at 8:57 p.m.

Trying to eat on $4.38 a day might seem impossible, but some local college students are taking the challenge to better understand the struggles faced by low-income families depending on federal food assistance.

Next week, a group of University of South Carolina Upstate students will participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP Challenge. SNAP formerly was known as the Food Stamp Program.

"One of the interesting things about our community-based, diverse university is we have students come who are really struggling, even to eat," said senior and Student Government Association President Jim Heenehan.

He also said the college keeps a food pantry for students in need, but the demand is sometimes overwhelming. Once students finish paying their tuition, fees and books, there's no money left over to eat, he said.

"They are taking an important step to better their lives and better their families' lives, and they don't have enough money left to eat," Heenehan said. "I think it takes courage to put yourself in that situation, and it takes even more to ask for help."

Heenehan said he worries about people being negatively branded for asking for assistance because of the intense political rhetoric often found in the media. He is challenging his fellow students to live on their potential benefits from SNAP for one week.

"We can really start a cultural change and change the way we see people who have these needs," Heenehan said. "What we're trying to demonstrate is $5 for food per day really isn't free loading."

In South Carolina, more than 850,000 people receive benefits from SNAP, according to the S.C. Department of Social Services website. Benefits are determined based on income, monthly expenses and the number of people in the household. The average per person allocation of SNAP benefits was $131.38 per month in 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"We are not taking a stand one way or the other because there are good and bad things about all government programs. We really just want to make students aware of some of the issues being discussed," said Kara Ferguson, assistant director of campus programs at USC Upstate.

The SNAP Challenge was founded by the Food Research and Action Center in Washington, D.C. SNAP is intended to supplement, not replace, a family's food budget, but the group contends SNAP allocations are too low. They claim that stagnant wages, rising unemployment and inflation have led many SNAP recipients to depend on the program for food. The SNAP Challenge received national attention in 2007 when several members of the U.S. Congress took the challenge and blogged about their experience.

By asking students to live on their potential SNAP allocation alone, Ferguson said they really will have to focus. The experience will be enhanced with a resource booklet, discussion groups and the showing of the documentary "Food Stamped."

In preparation for the student event, Ferguson said members of the campus life staff took the challenge.

"You think you're a good grocery shopper, until you only have $30 for the week. I was really scrounging for bargains," Ferguson said.

A recent proposal by Catherine Templeton, the director of the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, could make surviving on SNAP benefits alone more difficult. Templeton is working with DSS to suggest stringent restrictions on food items that can be purchased with SNAP dollars. She said the program would be modeled after Women, Infants, and Children, another federal food assistance program. It would not allow people to use government money to purchase food items that might contribute to health problems later.

SNAP currently can be used for any food item intended for human consumption at home, but WIC requires participants to purchase 100 percent fruit juices, low-sugar and high-iron cereals, and vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables. Templeton also wants to add meats to the list of permitted items.

If those requirements were in place when she took the SNAP challenge, Ferguson said she wouldn't have been successful.

"Some of those healthy foods are more on the expensive side," she said. "I had to be very intentional to make sure I got vegetables in my diet. I couldn't have any fruits because I just couldn't afford it."

<p>Trying to eat on $4.38 a day might seem impossible, but some local college students are taking the challenge to better understand the struggles faced by low-income families depending on federal food assistance.</p><p>Next week, a group of University of South Carolina Upstate students will participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP Challenge. SNAP formerly was known as the Food Stamp Program.</p><p>"One of the interesting things about our community-based, diverse university is we have students come who are really struggling, even to eat," said senior and Student Government Association President Jim Heenehan.</p><p>He also said the college keeps a food pantry for students in need, but the demand is sometimes overwhelming. Once students finish paying their tuition, fees and books, there's no money left over to eat, he said.</p><p>"They are taking an important step to better their lives and better their families' lives, and they don't have enough money left to eat," Heenehan said. "I think it takes courage to put yourself in that situation, and it takes even more to ask for help."</p><p>Heenehan said he worries about people being negatively branded for asking for assistance because of the intense political rhetoric often found in the media. He is challenging his fellow students to live on their potential benefits from SNAP for one week.</p><p>"We can really start a cultural change and change the way we see people who have these needs," Heenehan said. "What we're trying to demonstrate is $5 for food per day really isn't free loading."</p><p>In South Carolina, more than 850,000 people receive benefits from SNAP, according to the S.C. Department of Social Services website. Benefits are determined based on income, monthly expenses and the number of people in the household. The average per person allocation of SNAP benefits was $131.38 per month in 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.</p><p>"We are not taking a stand one way or the other because there are good and bad things about all government programs. We really just want to make students aware of some of the issues being discussed," said Kara Ferguson, assistant director of campus programs at USC Upstate.</p><p>The SNAP Challenge was founded by the Food Research and Action Center in Washington, D.C. SNAP is intended to supplement, not replace, a family's food budget, but the group contends SNAP allocations are too low. They claim that stagnant wages, rising unemployment and inflation have led many SNAP recipients to depend on the program for food. The SNAP Challenge received national attention in 2007 when several members of the U.S. Congress took the challenge and blogged about their experience. </p><p>By asking students to live on their potential SNAP allocation alone, Ferguson said they really will have to focus. The experience will be enhanced with a resource booklet, discussion groups and the showing of the documentary "Food Stamped."</p><p>In preparation for the student event, Ferguson said members of the campus life staff took the challenge.</p><p>"You think you're a good grocery shopper, until you only have $30 for the week. I was really scrounging for bargains," Ferguson said.</p><p>A recent proposal by Catherine Templeton, the director of the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, could make surviving on SNAP benefits alone more difficult. Templeton is working with DSS to suggest stringent restrictions on food items that can be purchased with SNAP dollars. She said the program would be modeled after Women, Infants, and Children, another federal food assistance program. It would not allow people to use government money to purchase food items that might contribute to health problems later.</p><p>SNAP currently can be used for any food item intended for human consumption at home, but WIC requires participants to purchase 100 percent fruit juices, low-sugar and high-iron cereals, and vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables. Templeton also wants to add meats to the list of permitted items.</p><p>If those requirements were in place when she took the SNAP challenge, Ferguson said she wouldn't have been successful.</p><p>"Some of those healthy foods are more on the expensive side," she said. "I had to be very intentional to make sure I got vegetables in my diet. I couldn't have any fruits because I just couldn't afford it."</p>